The Photon operating system must enforce password complexity on the root account.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256579 | PHTN-30-000110 | SV-256579r991589_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Password complexity rules must apply to all accounts on the system, including root. Without specifying the "enforce_for_root flag", "pam_cracklib" does not apply complexity rules to the root user. While root users can find ways around this requirement, given its superuser power, it is necessary to attempt to force compliance. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256579r991589_chk)
At the command line, run the following command:
# grep pam_cracklib /etc/pam.d/system-password|grep --color=always "enforce_for_root"
Expected result:
password requisite pam_cracklib.so dcredit=-1 ucredit=-1 lcredit=-1 ocredit=-1 minlen=8 minclass=4 difok=4 retry=3 maxsequence=0 enforce_for_root
If the output does not include "enforce_for_root", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60197r887410_fix)
Navigate to and open:
/etc/pam.d/system-password
Add the following, replacing any existing "pam_cracklib.so" line:
password requisite pam_cracklib.so dcredit=-1 ucredit=-1 lcredit=-1 ocredit=-1 minlen=8 minclass=4 difok=4 retry=3 maxsequence=0 enforce_for_root
Note: On vCenter appliances, the equivalent file must be edited under "/etc/applmgmt/appliance", if one exists, for the changes to persist after a reboot.